Caring for Vintage Vehicle Boxes

Hi all, I'm brand new to the site. After seeing TFA, I got back into Star Wars in a big way. I have begun going through my childhood collection of figures and vehicles. I was wondering what the best way to care for vintage boxes was? Not just cleaning, but also long-term maintenance. Is there a way to keep them from drying out, getting brittle, or deteriorating? I have a lot of POTF II Vehicle and Playset boxes which seem like they should last a while and they're pretty shiny so cleaning isn't too much of a worry, but what about Vintage Era boxes? I have a ROTJ Millennium Falcon box that I want to maintain, but I'm worried about cleaning it and also the best way to store and display.

I did a lot of searching and haven't found much info on this. I've found a lot of stuff about cardbacks and and some stuff on repairing, but not a lot on actual storage and maintenance of these old boxes.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. I was gonna post on RebelScum, but their User Name requirements were a little goofy.

Welcome to the forum. Lots of people on here use cardboard inside their vintage boxes to reinforce them and help hold the shape better, as some vintage boxes like the X-Wing are very flimsy even with the original inserts.

In terms of maintaining, a gentle wipe with a damp cloth now and again should do the job. I wouldn't use any kind of cleaner, and keep away from black marker pens

Welcome! I'll be honest, I've never really given it a thought. I just get the dust of them every now and then. Will keep an eye on this, interested to see what people say, good post

Welcome to the forum.
As long as you keep them out of direct sunlight they'll be fine.

Ok, well thanks for the welcome and the responses. I just imagined that given enough time, the cardboard packaging would waste away, like how a really old book becomes fragile and falls apart.

Another option is to get some acrylic cases for your favorite vintage boxes. They aren't cheap, but they will protect the boxes and give them a polished look. You can get cases at https://www.facebook.com/GWAcrylic/ or http://ukgraders.co.uk . They are definitely worth checking out. Welcome to SWFUK!